With the Easter holidays in full swing, it is not unusual to see groups of kids hanging around with their mates in a bid to pass the time and relieve their boredom.

But when does just loitering around and having fun with your pals turn into antisocial behaviour?

In recent weeks and months, there have been reports of youngsters idling around parts of Bransholme and causing a nuisance.

In a couple of instances by North Point Shopping Centre, one woman claimed a boy as young as 12 threatened to “smoke her dead parents’ ashes” following a confrontation outside Wilko. In a separate incident, an 11-year-old boy said he was chased home in terror by a gang waiting outside The Foredyke pub.

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But are these isolated incidents or have other shoppers and passers-by experienced trouble at the hands of gangs of kids in and around Bransholme?

We spoke to people to ask whether Bransholme an antisocial behaviour issue and if so, what can be done to tackle it.

'Teens call me black b****** and n*****'

Annika Townend, 19, works in North Point and has encountered shocking racial abuse when leaving the building.

Her mother, Elizabeth Moore, 48, said: “My daughter works in a sandwich shop and gets called a n****r and she is frightened to come to the centre on a night time. They call her a black b****** and things like that and it’s not fair on her.”

Annika said: “It’s all teenagers saying these things to me. They are either high as a kite or spitting at you. It upsets me but I just ignore it and I just think ‘they’re teenagers – let them say what they want’.

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Dave, who runs a fish and chip van, said groups often loiter on a night time near the centre. He says they can be intimidating and he believes youngsters in the area have “no respect” for the law.

“They are aged from about 10 to 16 and they have an attitude with adults,” Dave said. “They think the law stinks and that they are untouchable.”

'They are only loitering out of boredom'

Jade Gorman of Bransholme (Image: Pete Harbour)

However, not everyone has an issue with teenagers spending time with their mates outside the shopping centre.

Jade Gorman, 30, who lives in Bransholme, believes children only loiter out of boredom and that when people see them they immediately feel intimidated.

She thinks they have an unfair reputation and she sympathises with them due to a lack of facilities in the area.

The mum said: “There are no youth clubs. My daughter is in secondary school and there is just not a lot for them to do.

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“Other ones are spoiling it for the majority of teenagers who don’t act unruly. There are always teenagers loitering around the centre and messing about but they don’t cause any trouble – they are just on their bikes.

“I sympathise with them in the fact that there is nothing to do. There is a park in Biggin Avenue but it’s a mess so it’s no wonder people loiter down here.”

'I lock myself in the car'

Margaret, 72, who only wanted to give her first name, said she has seen groups of youths target and bully other children in Bransholme.

She tries to avoid going to North Point Shopping Centre unless she has to and when she has had to pick her daughter up from the centre at night she will not leave the car.

“I lock myself in the car and then get away,” Margaret said. “The parents don’t bother with them and just let them do what they want.

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“It goes on everywhere and it used to be terrible here when The Foredyke was open and they all used to hang out there.

“It’s a shame for the area because they’ve done a lot here. They’ve built new houses and bungalows but some people don’t look after their properties and I had to tell a seven-year-old kid to [get off] my car. He just said back to me: ‘What are you going to do about it?’”

'Elderly people are afraid to speak out'

Graham Wilson, 49, thinks elderly people are afraid to say anything to troublesome youths amid fears they will be attacked.

He said: “You see older people coming out of the centre and they will be a bit worried. They look around them all over the place and to be honest I think it’s pretty disgusting.

“It was that generation that build this area and they should be able to walk around freely and feel safe.”

'Orchard Park is worse for teenage gangs'

Barry Pickersgill of Orchard Park (Image: Pete Harbour)

Barry Pickersgill, 47, visits North Point Shopping Centre with his mum and lives in Orchard Park, which he believes is the worst estate in Hull for antisocial behaviour.

Ms Smith said: “Because of the nature of the Bransholme estate, it’s a community area and there will always be groups of young and old people in the area who come here to meet people and that has not changed in 45 years.

Louise Smith, centre manager at North Point Shopping Centre, Hull.

“We do work with young people if they are causing issues but we have quite minimal issues in the centre. It’s difficult to say to young people ‘you can’t meet here’ because they are the shoppers of tomorrow.

“I don’t think it’s any different from how it has been in the past. People do come here to meet friends and that will never change. The police are aware if we do have problems we will work with them.

“Security have a good rapport with youths in the centre and they do get to know them and speak to them on their level. I don’t think the problem is any worse than anywhere else and there is a lot more antisocial behaviour in places like Orchard Park.”

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Hull crime news

She described Bransholme as a “clean, green environment with very friendly residents” and she says the centre is there a “safe place” for children who are being targeted.

Ms Smith said: “The last couple of years have been quite quiet. We engage with youths and the security teams have a good relationship with them. Unless they are doing anything wrong we don’t really know what we can do.

“Bransholme is a clean, green environment with very friendly residents. North Point Shopping Centre is a safe a place in Hull and if children feel as if they are being bullied they can come here and we can get in touch with their parents. We will help wherever we can.”

She also encouraged shoppers to report any incidents to the centre so it can investigated.

Watch: What is antisocial behaviour and how do you tackle it?

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“If members of the public are not reporting things to us it’s then difficult for us to report issues.

“For me, kids are only meeting their friends. If we put a stop to groups of individuals meeting what is that saying about us as a shopping centre?

“We are a community shopping centre and we will always be – we don’t want to stop being that. I’m not sure loitering is an offence and it is only a small minority of people causing issues.”

A spokeswoman for North Point Shopping Centre added: “We take the safety and security of North Point visitors extremely seriously. Our on site 24 hour security team works closely with Humberside Police to ensure any problems are dealt with swiftly, if and when they arise.”

What Humberside Police say

Chief Inspector Lee Edwards said: “I know that the majority of the people that live and work in the Bransholme area are decent, law abiding citizens and I appreciate the impact that antisocial behaviour (ASB) can have for those people.

“I want to reassure you that we are regularly out and about in your community and will continue to be so and to work with you to ensure that this remains a great place.

“We do see increases in reports of ASB at certain times of the year, particularly during the school holidays. Children and young people will meet with friends and hang out in groups near to shops, parks and other local landmarks.

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

“I appreciate that this can sometimes feel intimidating, however most of the time they are just socialising with friends and not causing any harm or committing any offences.

“I appreciate the concerns raised about a small group of teenagers causing problems for people in the area and I want to offer my assurance, where offences are reported to us we will investigate and take appropriate and proportionate action.

“We have recently had some really good results in North Hull with regards to nuisance motorcycles. As part of Operation Yellowfin, the force’s dedicated initiative to tackle motorcycle crime, the North Hull team have seized numerous bikes in the last week and made arrests following reports of bikes being ridden anti-socially or, in some cases, illegally.

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“It is really important that people work with us and report incidents to us so that we can investigate. There are a number of ways that this can be done.

“We regularly host police surgeries in the area and I encourage local residents and workers to make the most of these by coming along and telling the local team about your concerns. These events are advertised on the local Twitter page @HP_NorthHull and via My Community Alert, which you can sign up for at www.mycommunityalert.co.uk .

“You can also report information via our non-emergency number 101 or anonymously through the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

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